The moon woke me up...

The Lap no. 6 - D-Day - 11 Months

Moon woke me up
nine times
—still just 4 AM

-Haiku by Matsuo Bashō

At 8:30 last night, I wrapped up a work call with a client, loaded my pack with overnight essentials, and walked a short section of the Sheep’s Head Way with a friend to bivuac (French alpinist jargon for camping without a tent) on top of the ridge.

We had our morning coffee at sunrise (around quarter to six) and were back in time for breakfast and an early start to our Friday workdays. It was the perfect microadventure and a chance to practice camping skills I’ll need on The Lap.

It wasn’t a good sleep up there. But it was an epic sleep.

It didn’t rain, the all-natural bug spray worked, and there were even some stars in the gaps in the clouds. Lighthouses and channel markers blinked on the other side of the Bay—I counted the flashes and drilled my knowledge of the local chart as I drifted off. At one point, an orange crescent moon woke me up.

Farther out, I could see next year’s start/finish line where Bantry Bay meets the North Atlantic. The water was calmer than usual and vast as ever.

Sunrise over Bantry Bay and the Sheep’s Head Way, as seen from my bivvy.

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Thanks for reading,

-Charlie

Thank you to Mike Jones for coaching and guidance.

Kokatat is the official gear sponsor of The Lap.

The lap will be fueled by Resilient Nutrition’s Long Range Fuel and bars.

Expedition coffee by 3fe.